Another Drug Record for Afghanistan
In addition to being the world’s leading producer of opium, Afghanistan has now become the largest producer of hashish, according to the first ever cannabis survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) earlier this month. Again, the US invasion is behind the new record.

Peak oil predictions
The peak oil debate has always been about reserves and costs. But it's clean, green technologies that now spell oil's demise

Flu shots suspended after kids hospitalised
The Health Minister, Kim Hames, says 45 children have been taken to hospital suffering high temperatures and febrile convulsions after receiving the vaccination.

German troops in Afghanistan call on Angela Merkel to explain why they're at war
German soldiers are wearing their hearts on their sleeves - in the form of a badge that protests their country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
Some troops have taken to wearing the cloth accessory that states - ironically - 'I fight for Merkel' in a bid to persuade the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to explain exactly what they are fighting and dying for.

Fitch warns of debt 'shock' for Japan
Fitch Ratings has warned that Japan's sovereign debt is rising to ominously high levels as the workforce shrinks and deflation grinds deeper, while the government's reserve assets may prove unusable for defence in a funding crisis.

Leicestershire to dim street lights
A county council is planning to switch off or dim thousands of street lights next month in a bid to cut costs

Tony Blair Stands Accused
Malaysia must not allow this mass murderer to be immune from justice.

Dangerous Crossroads: US Deploys Patriot Missiles in Poland directed against Russia
MOSCOW -- Moscow is deeply concerned with the plans of the United States to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian border, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

Bias of Weather Models: Britain's Met Office Computer Accused of 'Warm Bias'
A BBC weather forecaster has suggested that the Met Office's super-computer has a 'warm bias' which has stopped it predicting bitterly cold spells like the one we have just endured.

British grandmother returns home after 23 years in Spain... and is branded an asylum seeker
A British grandmother who returned home destitute after living in Spain for 23 years has complained after being barred from claiming benefits.
Lorraine Marsland, 52, says officials are classing her alongside asylum seekers even though she was born here and holds a British passport.
Since arriving in Britain in January with her grandson Dylan, she has been denied housing benefit, child benefit, and Jobseeker's Allowance.

In hiding, the mother accused of abuse for cuddling her child
A mother alleged to have 'emotionally abused' her daughter by telling her she was born by caesarean has fled to Ireland with the child.
Fearing that social workers would take her daughter away, Shahnaz Malik smuggled five-year-old Amaani out of the country.
After allegations that included Mrs Malik cuddling Amaani for too long while dropping her off at nursery, social services placed the little girl on a 'child protection plan' and scheduled a child mental health assessment


Mother's fury as children as young as EIGHT are being offered free condoms
Charity youth workers have been criticised after offering free condoms to children as young as eight who were playing in a park.
Angry mother Samantha Fuller says her 13-year-old daughter was given the contraceptives - but she also claims her eight-year-old nephew was asked if he wanted some.

Governments Will 'Bankrupt Us': Marc Faber
"They will all bankrupt us and expropriate us, but it may not happen tomorrow. They'll give us something to play with, until the whole system breaks down...they'll just print money and print more money," he said on CNBC Thursday

Demonizing Iran: US Media Continue Beating War Drums
Just yesterday, the New York Times, had a lead story about Israeli planning to possibly “go it alone” in an attack on Iran if the US were not to “succeed” in its diplomatic efforts to get Iran to “stop” it’s alleged attempts to develop a nuclear weapon capability.

Aside from the fact that there is no hard evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb or even to refine uranium to obtain nuclear-grade material, the paper ignored one crucial point: Israel cannot “go it alone” in any strike on Iran, since its key weapons – F15 and F-16 fighter-bombers – are supplied to it, and kept flying, thanks to the equipment and spare parts provided by the United States. Indeed the entire Israeli military machine is largely financed and armed by the US.

Wikileaks and the Internalized National-Security-Virtual-State
The magnetism of US censorship is that people 'think' they are free and knowledgeable, but they do not 'know' they have internalized and have been imprisoned by a national-security-virtual-state. It purports fear, ignorance, confusion, and misinformation, notes Dallas Darling.

And we would've gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for that damned Internet
There are now a whole lot of newly-minted, well-informed skeptics out there